Mail box



July 3, 1928.

G. DE 'MAZIROFF MAIL BOX Filed Feb. 14, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet July 3, 1928. I 1,676,008

- G, DE MAZIROFF MAIL BOX Filed Feb. 14, 1927 I 4 /w I n i ZSheets-Sheet 2 l Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES GEORGE DE MAZIROFF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MAIL BOX.

Application filed February 14, 1927. Serial No. 168,211.

This invention relates to improvements in mail boxes for use in cities and towns and also relates to improvements in mailing systems including a mail bag in connection with mail boxes and for use by a mail carrier for collecting mail matter from the mail boxes. One object of my invention is to provide an improved mail box which is provided with a plurality of compartments for the reception of mail matter of different classes such as ordinary letters, special delivery letters, newspapers and the like and which mail box is effective for keeping the different kinds of mail matter separated and thereby avoid entirely or minimize the labor of assorting different classes of mail matter at the post ofiice.

- Another object of my invention is to provide means to simultaneously drop all the mail matter of different classes from the mail box to facilitate the collection of the same by the mail carrier.

Anotherobject is to provide a mail bag for use in connection with the mail box to receive the mail matter therefrom and to keep the different classes of mail matter separated just as they were in the mail box.

A further object is to provide an improved mail box which is ornamental in appearance, which is simple in construction,

is strong and durable, and'which in addition to various compartments for the reception of dillerent classes of mail matter, is

as also provided with compartments in which may be installed telephones and used as police telephone stations and other compartments in which stamp vending machines may be installed so that the mail box is 40 adapted for use not only for the deposit of mail matter and the keeping of mail matter of different classes assorted, but is also adapted for use as a police telephone stationand as a postage stamp vender.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction,

combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.'

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation'of a letter box and a supporting pedestal or posttherefor constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

55 t Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the same.

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View of the same, together with the improved mail bag, on a plane intersecting the mail compartments of the mail box and mail bag.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same.

Figure 6 is a plan of the mail bag in open position.

Figure 7 is a detail horizontal sectional view, on a somewhat larger scale, of the mail box, on the plane indicated by the line 77 of Figure 5, and

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of themail bag showing the same in closed position.

My improved mail box 1 may be made of metal or of any other suitable material and is provided with a gable roof or cover 2 which is provided at the sides and also at theends of the box with projecting protectmg eaves 3. The mail box is divided into compartments for the reception of the mail by partitions 4, and the mail receivmg compartments may be of any suitable number and of any-suitable size. As here shown, a compartment 5 is provided for ordinary letters, a somewhat smaller compartment 6 for special delivery letters, and a compartment 7 for second class mail mat ter such as newspapers and the like. The front wall of the compartment 5 has a slot 5 through which letters may be passed by persons mailing them, the compartment 6 has a similar slot 6 and the compartment 7 has a similar slot 7. The said compartments are respectively designated on the front side of the box as Letter box, Spec.

vdel., Newspaper.

These slots are entirely unobstructed, so that letters and the like may be readily passed therethrough even by a person who has only one hand disengaged, and my mail box facilitates the mailing of letters and the like even under adverse conditions such as during rain or other storms.

The mail compartments are open at the lower side and the bottom of all of said compartments is formed b a single plate or slide 8 which may be rawn outwardly from the front side of the box to drop all the mail matter from all of the compartments simultaneously, as will be understood. The ends of the slide bottom or plate 8 operate in transverse grooves 9 which are formed on the inner side of the end walls 10 of the box and said slide is provided at its rear corners with pivoting outwardly projecting lugs 11 which also operate in said grooves ,9, and when the slide has been drawn'outwardly sufficiently to entirelyopen the'bottom of all the mail compartments and thereby' cause the mail to be dropped fromsaid compartments into the mail bag 12, the said lugs as they reach the front ends of the grooves 9 form pivots which permit the slide bottomto swing downwardly, out of the side, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5'. The slide bottom is provided at its front side, at a point midway between theeiids,

with an upstanding arm 13in which asuit able tumbler loclrll is mounted. The key 15 of the lock, when inserted therein,fjoperates as a handle whereby to permit themail carrier to readily,operate the slide bottom,

to open'o'r closc the same. ll hen the slide bottom is 'in closed position, its front edge and the front side off'its ar1n 13 are flush {with the front wall or side of the mail box,

'7 as shown in Figure 5', so that said slide does not obstruct the front side of the iiiail box The end walls of the fmail box are provided at, their lower sides with inwardly projecting flanges 16 and grooves 17 above said flanges. I p

The poster pedestal 18 which supports and displays my improved mail boxus of brnamentaldesign and the central'rear portion of the bottom of the mail box is secured on said-post or pedestal as'shown in Figure 2, so that lliemail portion'of the box "projects from the post or pedestal outwardly from the post or pedestal and the telephone and stamp vending compartments of themail box are in the vertical plane of said post or pedestal. 7

In practice and to. render the mail box conspicuous so that it can be easily found,

the'walls or. sides of the box are painted yellowand'the roofthereof red and the trim andlegends of the box are painted black.

Thes'e colors are to prevail on all ofthe mail boxes used throughout thecities and towns and on roadways, and hence the finding and use of the mail boxes will be greatly facilitated by such uniform colors and character istics thereof.

It will be understood that personsplacing mail matter in the mail box will do so'in' accordance with the character of the mail matter, that is to "say, will place an ordinary letter in the compartment 5, the special delivery letter in the compartment 6, or a newspaper or other articlevof second class mail matter in the compartment 7 and the mail matter thus separated according toclasses in the-mail, box willflb'e delivered bythe carl, Thetelephone compartment is here indicated at 19 and the stamp vending compartm'ent at 20.

The bag 12 for use by the mail carrier for collecting themail'from the mail boxes may be made of leather, cloth or anysuitable flexible materiahis divided by flexible'partitions 21 into compartments 5*,6", 7*" which correspond exactly with the compartments 5, 6 and 7 of the mail box and the mouth of the bag is provided with metalreinforcing frames 22 which frames have 'endpieces 23 which are pivotally connected together at the 'medial line of the bag as at '24,' said frames also having intermediate arms 25 which are at the upper ends of thepartition walls 21 and are also pivotally con} nected together as at 26, the pivots 26being coaxial with the pivots 24. The end pieces 23 of the'mouth frames are provided with outstanding flanges 27. for engagement with the groove 17 and bear and slide on the flanges 16 of the mailbox. When the mail bag has been openeditcan hence be readily suspended from and slid to a position below the mail box directly'under the mail compartments of the box and the carrier by simply drawing the slidefbottom 8 forwardly, after unlocking the same, can causeall the mail matter of various classes in themail boxto drop simultaneously into corresponding classified compartments of the mail bag so thatthere is nopossibility whatever of the various classes of mail matter being mixed as they are dropped from the box into v the bag. V

The bag is hereshown as provided with handles 28 on oppositesides of the central portions of the mouth frames; When the mail has been dropped from the box into the bag the carrier then closes the bag and carries itin closed condition either to another box orto the post oflice. Hence the mail with its various classes separated in the bag, as in the box, is protected fully by the closed vmail bag while being carried from one point vto another, and all danger ofany of the matter being lostby the carrier is obviated. Havingv thus described my; invention, I claim, a I

1. A mail box open on the lower side and provided with a slide bottom arranged to be drawn outwardly through one side of the box, said box having grooves in opposite walls in'which the ends of said slide bottom are mounted and said slidebottom being provided at its rear corners with pivot lugs which also operate in said grooves sothat when said slide bottom is drawn outwardly to openthe bottomof the box it may be then swung downwardly on said pivots to leave the bottom of the box-entirely unobstructed.

2. A mail box open on the lower side and provided with a slide bottom arranged to be drawn outwardly through one side of the box, said box having grooves in opposite walls in which the ends of said slide bottom are mounted and said slide bottom being provided at its rear corners with pivot lugs which also operate in said grooves so that when said slide bottom is drawn outwardly 10 to open the bottom of the box it may be then swung downwardly on said pivots to leave the bottom of the box entirely unobstructed, said slide bottom having a lock to secure the same in closed position, said lock having a key which when inserted in the lock forms a handle whereby the slide bottom may be operated.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE DE MAZIROFF. 

